Spinach & The Third 'Mission Mom'
by jareya
Summary: A follow-up to 'Brownies & Surprises' - it's Mac's 40th birthday, time for reflection, celebration or relaxation? Take your pick.
1. Chapter 1

**Spinach and the Third 'Mission Mom'**

**Author's Note**:This is a follow-up to my story 'Brownies and Surprises', and takes place a few weeks later. There are one or two allusions to that story, so it might be good to read that one first. This one will have three chapters, but I'll post them fairly quickly. I know next to nothing about pregnancy and all the related symptoms and medical stuff, and have done only some very basic research, so please forgive any inaccurate information.

_**Chapter One**_

_**Harm's POV**_

It's less than a week to Mac's 40th birthday. She says she wants a quiet celebration at home and has left the details to me, but I'm still not sure what to do. The kids have been involved in planning the festivities… yesterday, I summoned them to a strategy meeting on the subject, and this is how it went:

_**Me**__:_ So it's Mom's birthday on Saturday, and we're going to have a party!

_(Cue a chorus of cheers from Katie and Jack, complete with jumping up and down)_

_**Me**_: Alright alright, settle down. Now I'm going to need your help to figure out what kind of party Mom would like. What do you think?

_**Katie**_: I think Mommy should have a big, pink 'Dora the Explorer' cake, and ice cream… and… a crown and a princess dress… and… Daddy, can you get One Direction to come sing for Mommy?

_**Jack**_: Yuck, Mom wouldn't like that. Mom's a Marine, she should get a Marine cake! And we should have a pool! With things that explode and splash all over the place! And we should have a treasure hunt with pirates!

_**Me**__: _(taking notes) Ok… Dora cake, Marine cake, One Direction, games in the yard… erm, exploding things that splash…. These are great suggestions, guys, but Mommy's a grown-up, I think she might want to do some more grown-up stuff.

_**Katie**_: Like when you wear really pretty clothes and go out at night and leave us at home with Andrea?

_**Me**_: Well….

_**Katie**_: Or when you kiss Mommy and then go to your room and whisper and make funny noises?

_**Jack**_: _Yuck! _That's _not_ what Dad's talking about Katie! He's talking about a party – with games and treats and clowns and….

_**Katie**_: But Dad says she wants grown-up stuff….

_**Jack**_: Mom _loves_ treasure hunts, Dad.

_**Katie**_: No, Mom loves to play princess, and she loves Dora the Explorer!

_**Jack**_: Dora is dumb!

_**Katie**_: Is not!

_**Jack**_: Is too!

_**Me**_: Ok kids, no fighting. Jack, don't tell your sister that the things she likes are dumb. That's not nice. Are you going to apologize?

_**Jack**_: Sorry, Katie.

_**Katie**_: That's ok.

_**Me**_: Ok, back to our meeting. You're both right about one thing – Mom loves Dora, and princesses, and treasure hunts with pirates. She loves all those things. _But_ she might not want _all_ those things for her birthday party – it might be a little too much fun for her.

_**Katie**_: Because of the baby in her tummy?

_**Me**_: Yes, we don't want Mommy and the baby to get too tired. So here's the plan – I'll ask Mom exactly what she wants, and then we'll get together as a committee and make it happen. Thank you so much for your great ideas!

_**Katie**_: What's a… _c-c-comidity_, Daddy?

Later last night, as we lay on the couch listening to my new jazz CD after putting the kids to bed, I briefed Mac about the deliberations of the party-planning 'comidity'. When she was done wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes, she gave me her feedback.

'Oh my gosh, you guys are too sweet. Let's keep it sweet and simple, how about a picnic at the park?'

'We go to the park almost every weekend, Mac.'

'Uh huh, and what's that you always say? Oh yeah… "you can't get too much of a good thing".'

'Harriet is going to be mad at you.'

'No she's not; I told her a week ago that we would have a quiet family celebration. And we agreed that they would visit us at Christmas so they can meet the baby, remember?'

'Yeah, I remember.' My hands wander over her and rest on the still gentle curve of her stomach. 'How are you and the baby feeling today?'

'Amazing. Right now I feel as strong as Popeye on a full stomach of spinach. _Mmmm_, spinach. Harm, do you think you could make me a spinach omelet? The one I had for breakfast was divine.'

Yeah, that's right – the Queen of the Beltway Burger and all things unhealthy and artery-clogging is currently on a spinach kick. First, it was all about brownies… now it's all about healthy vegetables. I am enjoying this new, health-conscious Mac, even though I sometimes (perversely) miss the French-fry-inhaling Mac… as she often reminds me though, this veggie thing will probably fade away just as swiftly as it came.

After making Mac a spinach omelet and watching her wolf it down with great relish, we lingered on the couch a bit longer and talked more about the picnic. We agreed (or rather, she informed me) that we wouldn't invite anyone – it would be just us and the kids.

Finally, Mac let out a huge yawn and linked her arms behind my neck. 'What do you say, babe? Wanna go upstairs and make some of those "funny noises" Katie told you about?'

'Thought you were tired, what with the way you almost took my head off with that yawn.'

She swatted my leg playfully. 'That wasn't a sleepy yawn; that was a bored yawn. I'm tired of talking about parties; I want to go start a little party of our own. Besides, why do you think I just asked for that spinach omelette?'

_**Katie's POV**_

Mommy's tummy is getting bigger. She says it's because the baby is growing inside her. I don't like the baby. If it grows too big, I'm scared it will hurt Mommy. When I told her I was scared, Mommy laughed and said the baby could never hurt her. She said that her tummy would get bigger so the baby will have room to grow (I think that sounds scary). She said the baby will make us all very happy. I won't be happy.

I see babies all the time – at the park and at my friends' houses, and all they do is cry and eat all the time. They can't even talk or play, because they don't know how. They make everyone work so hard and look so tired. When the baby comes out of Mommy's tummy, Mommy and Daddy won't have time to play with me anymore. Daddy says we'll all play together, but it won't be the same. And Mommy won't call me 'baby' anymore. She says I'll always be her baby, but I don't think so, because she'll have her real baby. I hope the baby likes me.

_**Jack's POV**_

I'm really happy that I'm going to get a little brother soon. Mom and Dad say it might be a girl, but I hope not. I want a little brother to play ball with. I love Katie and we play together a lot, but she likes to play girly games. Mom and Dad found me and Katie at an orphanage. Our real parents couldn't take care of us, so we had to stay with the other kids in the orphanage until Mom and Dad made us their children and brought us to the United States. They said they knew we were theirs from the moment they met us. Sometimes I forget that I used to live at the orphanage. What I remember the most is that I was sad there, but now I am always happy with Mom and Dad.

The new baby will be different than me and Katie, because it's going to come out of Mom's tummy, and Mom says it will hurt, but not too much. I don't want Mom to be hurt at all, but Mom says it's a natural part of life. I can't wait for the baby to get here. I'll feed him and change his diapers until he's big enough to play with me in the yard. _I can't wait_.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for taking the time to read and review the first chapter... I really appreciate the feedback! Here's Chapter Two...**_

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Three days later….**_

_**Mac's POV**_

I love being pregnant… I'm enjoying every moment of this adventure. I feel great, fortunately I haven't suffered from morning sickness, and the 'tired all the time' phase seems to have passed. We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet… we want to be surprised. Harm has started work on the baby's room – it's going to be green, which I'm thrilled about, naturally. Everyone (Harm included, no matter how much he rolls his eyes) knows that green is the best color in the world. Harm jokes that I'm already trying to get the baby to follow in my jarhead footsteps, but he knows better… like him, all I want is a healthy, happy baby that we can raise with lots of love until he or she becomes a strong and well-adjusted adult.

Speaking of raising kids, I'm worried about Katie. I can tell that the little darling is afraid that the baby will replace her in our affections. No matter how much I try to reassure her, it breaks my heart to see how the neglect and tough times she experienced in the early part of her life have left lingering emotional scars on my precious girl. I spoke to my counselor about it, and she says Katie will gradually learn to forget her fears. She said all we need to do is to keep showering love on Katie and reassuring her. That's easy, because she's the most lovable little girl in the whole world – I just hope she starts to feel truly safe and secure in our love.

Part of what drew us to Katie, the first time we met her, was the pain in her dark eyes – something we immediately wanted to take away forever. She reminded me of myself, and Harm said she reminded him of me too. But I don't ever want her to struggle with her self-worth like I did in the past – I want her to always know that she deserves to be loved, and that she _is_ loved.

I'm not worried about Jack's reaction to the baby – he's convinced the baby is a boy and will be playing ball with him in the backyard in no time. I know he won't be disappointed for too long if it turns out to be a girl though – he already looks after his little sister Katie with a pride and protectiveness that warms my heart.

My own "little sister", Chloe, screamed her heart out on the phone when I told her about the baby. Along with the Roberts family, she's coming to meet the baby over Christmas. She's in medical school now, and I'm incredibly proud of the confident young woman she's become. Mattie is also thrilled about the baby – she's bringing her new boyfriend, Josh, home to meet us at the end of the summer. Harm would never admit it, but he's terrified – no-one is ever good enough for Mattie in his book.

It's my 40th birthday tomorrow… I can't believe how quickly the years have crept up on me. I look back at the past 40 years with a lot of hard-won fondness… the years of childhood abuse, the years of alcoholism, the years when I found my purpose and pursued it with single-minded determination, my sense of self-fulfillment when I achieved and even surpassed my career goals, those heady years at JAG, then… finally and most wonderfully of all, marrying the man of my dreams and building a wonderful family…. I think back on my foolish mistakes, and the wise decisions too. Looking back, I realize that I regret nothing. It's been one heck of a ride – and all the pain along the way was totally worth it to get here. I know there'll be tough times ahead, but my family gives me strength and the knowledge that we'll be ok as long as we're together.

I've come close to death enough times to be grateful that I'm still alive and well. I've survived enough fights and struggles to realize that very few things in this life are truly worth fighting for. I've experienced enough sadness and grief in my life to be grateful for all the small things that make my life beautiful. I realize that I am so proud of the woman I have become – Marine, lawyer, instructor, mentor, friend, wife and mother. My life may be far from perfect, but it's still pretty darned good. I've done a whole lot of living in my 40 years, and I'm glad. The great part though, is that I have a strong feeling that my best years are yet to come. Life begins at 40, they say, and I think they're right.

Physically, I think I'm holding up pretty well for 40… the inevitable forces of aging and gravity have changed my body and added what I like to call "character" to my face, but I actually like the changes… so far, anyway. I've had to cut down on the fast food a little in the last few years – my metabolism just isn't as lightning fast as it used to be. I can still have my burgers and fries from time to time (when not pregnant – they make me want to heave right now), but no matter how hard I work at the gym, I'll never be quite as slender as I used to be. Pregnancy has brought even more changes – on the doctors' advice, I've traded my runs and gym workouts for long walks, and my body feels softer, more womanly. My boobs are _huge_ – Harm is more fascinated with them than ever (which is saying something). What fascinates _me_ is my sudden craving for vegetables… very, very odd.

But enough about me… now I want to talk about Harm, and what he's up to. We agreed that we were all going to spend tomorrow at the park and just have fun with the children. But every now and then I catch him with that little glint in his eye… he's planning something else – I have no idea what it is, but I hope he's not making this a big deal. When he turned 40, he insisted that there would be no special celebrations of any kind. We had just gotten married a few months before that, and he said all he wanted was to "play hooky" for the first time since our honeymoon. So I respected his wishes. We took the day off work, went flying in Sarah, and then had dinner and a movie. If he's decided to make a big fuss and throw some kind of huge surprise party for me for _my_ 40th, I'll be really ticked off. Who am I kidding, the anger will probably last for all of five seconds – but seriously, I'm in no mood for a big party.

_**Three days later**_

_**Mac's POV**_

It was the perfect birthday weekend… it really was. The kids and Harm brought me breakfast in bed, and then I got my first presents – a picture of "Mom as a princess" (from Katie) and a picture of "Mom as a Marine" (from Jack). The park was fun – the kids played so hard and ate so much that they were fast asleep by time we headed home.

As I suspected, Harm had a special evening planned – but just for the two of us, thankfully. First he surprised me with a beautiful set of jewelry. Then we left the kids with the babysitter while he took me to my favorite restaurant for a romantic, intimate dinner… followed, of course, by more romantic, intimate moments at home – with me dressed in nothing but my new jewelry, and Harm dressed in my favorite Harm-outfit – a whole lot of nothing. As birthdays go, it was all pretty amazing. Sunday was spent at home with the kids, with Harm working on the nursery (and the rest of us helping him – or at least pretending to).

Now it's Monday morning and I'm up at first light, like always… thinking about how idyllic the weekend was, and not really looking forward to another day at work. Harm's not here… he must be out for his usual morning run. I grab my phone and take a look at my schedule for the day – no classes today, but a couple of meetings. A nice light day… with any luck, I'll be home by noon… then I can get some writing done before I have to pick up Jack and Katie. I yawn and stretch, and then go the bathroom to take a quick shower before waking the kids… but to my shock; they're not in their rooms.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: This is the final chapter of this story, but there are two stories still to come in this series. Thank you so much for all your feedback, it means so much to me!**_

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Jack's POV**_

It's called 'Mission Mom'… and this is our third mission. We always have a Mission Mom on Mother's Day, but this is the first time we're doing it for Mom's birthday. We all get to choose codenames – for this mission, my codename is 'Special Agent J-10' and Katie's is 'Pink Princess'. Dad's codename is always the same – 'Dad'. I think it's boring that he never chooses anything different, especially since he used to be a naval aviator and had a really cool callsign – 'Hammer'. It was my Granddad's callsign too. But Dad says that out of the all the cool names he's ever been called, 'Dad' is his favorite. Anyway, Mission Mom is all about doing nice things for Mom and making her so happy that she cries. (I don't know why she cries when she's happy).

This morning, Dad woke us up earlier than usual. We were really excited, because we knew it was time for Mission Mom to begin….

_**Mac's POV**_

I fight down panic, assuring myself that the children must be downstairs in the kitchen, and as I rush out to the landing to call out their names, I stumble upon a white envelope. I bend to pick it up, calling out the children's names as I do so. There's no response, so I rush down the stairs, examining the envelope. The words 'Sarah MacKenzie Rabb' are inscribed on the envelope in Jack's careful script.

Finally, I realize exactly what's going on. This has got to be a Mission Mom. The kids don't know that I know all about their missions – Harm betrayed them one night when I used some… creative measures to get him to 'fess up about why the kids were so _extremely _well-behaved one Mother's Day. Lots of things start to add up now – why the kids were so eager to go to bed last night, why Katie couldn't stop giggling (thereby making me giggle) while I read her and Jack their bedtime story, and of course that telltale glint that's been in their father's eye.

I open up the envelope and read the note inside:

_For taking care of us, loving us so much and generally being the Best Mom in the Universe, we would like to give you a special award. Please come to the dining room to receive your award._

_Signed: Yakob & Yekaterina Rabb_

I have the goofiest grin on my face as I proceed to the dining room as ordered. It's a formal room, one that we use mostly when we entertain (most of our meals as a family are eaten around the kitchen table), but along with the bedrooms and library, the dining room is one of my favorite rooms in the house. It's small, but beautifully lit, with gorgeous antique furniture. My favorite feature? The heavy oak doors, which I'm knocking on now.

'Come in,' is the response from a chorus of voices.

Standing at attention beside the table is my family – the kids looking extra-smart in their school uniforms, and Harm standing behind them, looking extra-sexy (as usual) in his uniform. I suddenly remember that I'm still wearing my comfortable blue bathrobe.

'I feel somewhat underdressed for this occasion,' I say, 'and should I stand at attention as well?'

'Of course not,' Harm responds, stepping out from behind the kids and coming forward to take my hand. 'You are the special guest at this occasion,' he says, bowing over my hand, 'and therefore you are welcome to wear whatever you like.'

'In addition,' Harm continued, taking me to the table and pulling out a chair, 'please be seated for the first part of the ceremony.'

As I meekly sit down, Harm continues, 'may I present to you your hosts, Katie, the Pink Princess of the Rabb family, and Jack, otherwise known as Special Agent J-10?' He beckons the children over, and as the adorable little darlings come closer to my chair, I laughingly pull them into my arms and look over at their dad.

'And who might you be?' I ask him, teasingly.

'I am their yeoman… for the duration of this ceremony'

'Ok yeoman, let the ceremony begin.'

'You have to let go of me first, Mom', Jack protests, wriggling out of my grasp.

'Oops, sorry. You just looked sooo adorable…'

'Mom!'

'Ok, sorry Jack, I mean, Special Agent J-10. Please proceed.'

Jack stands in front of me and starts his speech. 'Mom, we are going to spell out your name, except for the MacKenzie part because then it would be too long and boring.'

He then starts to read from a piece of paper.

**S **is for the **sweetest** mother in the whole world… sorry, the whole universe. (Sorry Mom, I was going to change that.)

**A i**s for **always** putting everyone else first. (Because you always do that, Mom.)

**R** is for all the **running** around you do, Mom, to make sure we have everything we need.

**A** is for **all** the **awesome** games you teach us and play with us.

**H** is for **happy**, because that's what we are whenever you are around.

I can't help it, by the time he's done, I'm in tears. Harm clearly came prepared, he hands me a box of Kleenex, just as Katie escapes my grasp to begin her own recitation.

**R **is for **really good** Mommy.

**A **is for **amazing** Mommy.

**B **is for **beautiful** Mommy.

**B **is for **best** Mommy in the whole world!

('_Universe_', whispers Jack).

I pull the kids to me again and hug them tightly, my tears flowing freely, laughing with sheer joy and thanking God for my little angels. I look over at Harm, and we exchange that look of wonder at the miracle of our children, a look that we've shared so many times.

'Thank you so much,' I say, finally letting Jack and Katie wriggle out of my hug, 'that was wonderful.'

The yeoman steps forward to continue the ceremony. 'Please stand for the formal presentation of your award,' he says.

As I rise, Jack hands over what looks like a cardboard medal to his dad, who then pins it on the lapel of my bathrobe. He hugs me and gives me a kiss, and I crouch to let the kids do the same.

'Alright kids,' Harm says, 'time for breakfast. Jack, would you please fix some cereal for yourself and your sister? We'll be right there.'

The kids run off to the kitchen, and I plop down into the nearest chair, overwhelmed, dabbing at my eyes with a tissue. I look down at the medal, a red and gold affair emblazoned with the words 'Greatest Mom Ever', and my heart feels like it'll burst with pride in my children. I look at their father. 'Harm! That was amazing. I almost freaked out when they weren't in their rooms though.'

'Yeah, I'm sorry about that. But we figured it was the only way to get you without raising suspicion. Did you enjoy the surprise?'

I stand up again and link my hands behind his head. His arms come around my waist. 'Very much, thank you so much babe.'

'Don't thank me; that was all Jack and Kate.'

'As amazing as they are, you're the chief strategist behind every Mission Mom, Harm, and don't think I don't know it. I am going to have to find a way to surprise you when your next birthday rolls around.'

'Good luck with that, Sarah. Remember I always know where you are… and what you're up to.'

I smile and then reluctantly move out of his arms. 'Shall we join the little ones?'

As we walk into the kitchen, I speak to Jack and Rose. 'Ok guys, I'm going to go upstairs and get dressed so I can take you to school.'

'Dad's taking us to school today,' Jack says, taking his cereal bowl to the sink.

'Is he now?' I ask, looking over at Harm.

'Yes, he is,' Harm replied.

I pull him into the passageway, out of the children's earshot.

'Ok, what's going on here?'

'I just want to spend a little more time with the kids today. Is that a bad thing? I mean, does that make me an unfit parent?'

He is so bad… I can't help it, I dissolve into hysterical laughter. 'You're never going to let that one go, are you Harm? I know it wasn't exactly my finest moment, but hey, I'm hormonal.'

'Yep,' he replies, 'and gorgeous.' He pulls me close. 'So beautiful that I have the sudden urge to forget about everything else I have planned for today and just spend it with you.'

I pull away, reluctantly. If he keeps this up, I might do something truly _peculiar_, like drag him up the stairs, and the kids _do_ have to get to school. 'You're sure you have enough time to get the kids to school? You know I don't mind.'

'Yes, I'm sure. Besides, you have an appointment at the spa at 0900.'

'I have a _what_? I have three long, boring meetings at work, is what I have.'

'No you don't,' he replies, grinning.

'Huh?'

'I asked Erica to set those up in your schedule as decoys, so you would be surprised when I told you that your day is completely free, and that your husband and kids are sending you off to the spa for the day. And before you ask, don't worry, they specialize in pre-baby treatments. So… are you surprised?'

'Very', I respond, pulling him back to me, just for a few moments. 'Surprised, and happy. You're way too good to me.'

'Impossible. You deserve much more for taking such good care of all of us. And don't worry about picking up the kids, I'll take care of it. And I'll do the laundry, pick up the dry-cleaning, do the grocery shopping, stop by the pharmacy, go to the post office, and take the kids to the pool for after school for their swimming class.'

'How's that going to work? You can't leave the office for long enough to do all those things. And hey, how did you know I needed to do those things today?'

'In response to the first question, I'm leaving work early. In response to the second, your to-do list is always up on the fridge, remember? Don't worry hon, everything's sorted out… I've been planning this for a while'.

'Since when?'

'Since you mentioned to Harriet on the phone that what you wanted for your birthday was a personal slave to handle everything on your to-do list for a day.'

'That was weeks ago! You sneaky so-and-so,' I say, but I'm grinning. This man is so full of surprises.

And so begins the most relaxing, indulgent day I've had in a while. By the time I return home in the evening, I feel like I'm floating on air. And the best part is that I don't have to worry about falling behind on all the other tasks for the day. And after dinner (prepared and served by Harm and the kids), there are even more surprises in store – Harm and the kids have left little gifts for me all over the house – sweet little notes, a book of poems, and flowers.

Later at night, when Jack and Katie are fast asleep, Harm and I lay awake in bed. He's telling me about all the funny things 'J-10' and 'the Pink Princess' said during the planning phase of the third Mission Mom. And I'm telling him about how calming and comforting the spa experience was, and how I wish he'd been there to enjoy it with me.

'They have couples treatments,' I say.

'I don't know, Mac….'

'Yeah, I know, "spa" and "Harm" don't seem to belong in the same sentence, but don't knock it till you've tried it. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did… and guess what?'

'What?'

'When you're feeling as… relaxed as I do right now, you're in the perfect mood for….' I leave the thought unfinished as I lift one leg and place it over one of his, stroking lightly.

We laugh, and then he sobers as he weaves his fingers with mine. 'I'm so relieved,' he says, 'that you just said that, Sarah.'

'Why?'

'Because, you know that to-do list you put up on the fridge for today?' he asks, moving his other hand up my thigh, and taking the hem of my oversized t-shirt with it.

'Uh huh, what about it?'

'Well,' he says, moving that skilful hand up my stomach slowly, so slowly, until it reaches my sensitive breasts, 'one item was missing from the list.'

I can hardly believe that he wants to have this conversation right now, but just before I tell him to shut up, I do want to know what he's talking about – my to-do lists are legendary, and rightly so. 'What do you mean? What item was missing?'

'Make love to husband,' he says, as he pulls my t-shirt all the way up and whips it over my head.


End file.
